


New Beginning

by Sleepy_fan



Category: Assassin's Creed - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Father/Son Incest, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-03
Updated: 2017-09-08
Packaged: 2018-12-23 13:05:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 21,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11990391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sleepy_fan/pseuds/Sleepy_fan
Summary: Connor loses his mother and is sent to live with his mysterious father.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Antecanis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Antecanis/gifts).



Connor walked to work, humming quietly to himself as he looked up at the cloudy sky, enjoying the cool spring day. He nibbled on the muffin that he had grabbed for breakfast, yawning a little and shaking off the last of the tiredness that the party that had continued into rather late into the night the day after yesterday for his seventeenth birthday had gone. It was good to let loose like that, and he had missed Kanen, Desmond and the others, but as they all had school to go to, and he had recently finished going to Cooking school to become a baker and pastry chef, they only had limited time together, though they did stay in contact as best as they could - and it helped that they all lived in the same apartment building. He was rather glad to have finished high school early, as spending four years in high school sounded like torture to the young man. Especially as the others complained about how boring it could be.

He spotted Jamie - who was one of the weekday dog-walkers at the local animal shelter and waved cheerfully at him before standing to one side, as the older man had about a half dozen dog on leashes that he was walking "Good morning Jamie, how are you?"

"I'm doing alright, thanks. Did you have a good birthday, Connor?" Jamie asked curiously, pausing for a moment as he smiled a little at the hard working young man. "I heard that you finished the cooking program that you were going through, do you plan to continue working at the shelter on weekends?"

"Yes I did, thank you, and I do plan on continuing to work at the shelter." Connor responded with a  small smile of his own. "I'm on my way to Primrose Bakery - I've been working with them part time as I went through school and now that I've finished, Prudence said that she'd like me to work there full time."

"Congratulations, Connor! I know that you make some of the best cupcakes I've ever tasted." The other responded, beaming happily at the younger man, delighted by the other's success "Well, I won't keep you - besides this lot have to get back to the shelter. It's bath day and they're hoping if I walk them long enough that they won't try so hard to escape."

"Good luck, Jamie and thank you." Connor responded cheerfully, lightly petting one of the dogs who had come over to him - a large (and slightly slobbery) black lab by the name of Percy. "Hello, Percy. I'm sorry I don't have much time to pet or play with you. I'll be at the shelter on the weekend. I hope that you find your forever home before then. Try not to lick everyone's faces, hmm?" He easily dodged the lick to the face that the lab had been going for, chuckling softly and scratching behind the other's ears, smiling softly.

"You have a way with animals - have you given further thought to becoming a veterinarian, lad? I know that you talked about becoming one just as much as owning your own bakery." Jamie murmured, still smiling a little.

"I... Perhaps in a couple of years. College is expensive and I... I think I want to not be in school for a couple of years at least. It's been such a big part of my life, and I think I want a change you know?" Connor answered, shifting a little. Becoming a veterinarian required a lot of school, and while the young man loved to learn, the thought of going back to school again so soon made his skin _crawl_ .

"I understand that. You're young and I understand wanting to stretch your wings a little, to experience new things. Well, I hope that full time at Primrose Bakery does you good, Connor." Jamie responded, waving a little before heading off, humming cheerfully under his breath.

~

Connor let himself into the bakery, entering through the store portion of it, calling out cheerfully "I'm here, boss!" As he did so - the bell chimed a little, but Miss Prudence might not have heard it - he could hear what sound like all of their stand mixers going on at the same time.

"Oh good. I need your help. I got a phone call an hour ago, from the organizers of the Spring Benefit Bash - one of their backers this year insisted that they changed dessert vendors this year. To us and they demanded it be done, despite the fact that the benefit it tonight. The benefit is being held in downtown Manhattan and they want all of the food vendors there to set up for the benefit by six pm as it starts at eight and they want to be sure that everything is perfect... Which means we need everything cooked, cooled, frosted and decorated by four at the latest." Prudence responded, poking her head out of the kitchen and frantically waving him over with a hand. "Do you know when Sarah and Percy are going to be coming to work?"

The two of them lived in the same apartment building that the seventeen year old did. Connor shook his head a little "No, I don't. Washington told everyone that the mandatory tenant meeting - at least for the adult tenants - was today, and it would begin at ten am. We've all known about it for over a month, he had to tell all of us so that everyone who needed to, had time to ask for time off today."

"... I was afraid that you were going to say that. I have the first batch of cupcakes cooling in the fridge - we need to bake enough sweets to satisfy five hundred people, and I was faxed what all of them should look like, as well as recommended flavor profiles for everything. If you could work on making marshmallow and chocolate fondants, I would be grateful. I need you and your delicate touch with frosting and decorating." Prudence responded, looking rather harried "Warren is out getting more basic ingredients because we don't keep enough raw ingredients on hand to make this much... But if we manage to pull this off, it will be fantastic exposure."

Connor nodded, immediately preparing for working with food - making sure to carefully wash his hands before starting on what she told him to, a determined expression appearing on his face. "Where are the designs?"

  
"I put them on the fridge - Warren's also getting edible glitter and sugar pearls, so that is what we'll be doing for those... After we get all of the batters done, I'll wash out the mixers and we can begin making the different frostings." Prudence murmured, a determined expression on her face. "We can do this. One step at a time and we'll be done before we know it."

Connor nodded, asking "Do you want me to flavor the marshmallow fondant as it's cooking, or do I need to separate it into a couple of different bowls afterwards and flavor them individually?"

Prudence paused for a couple of moments as she continued to carefully measure out several dry ingredients "Flavor them individually. We will need green, blue, white and yellow marshmallow fondants. I have the different fondant flavors labeled for the cupcakes that they will be going over, and the complimentary flavors each of them should be."

The young man nodded and busily got to work, making sure to watch what would become marshmallow fondant carefully, so that it didn't burn and he would have to start all over again - costing them precious time and resources that they would need in order to complete the Herculean task that had been so unceremoniously set before them. The both of them were so absorbed in their tasks, that neither one of them really registered the fact that an emergency vehicle went past the front of the shop, with it's alarm blaring out a warning for anyone and everyone to get out of the way - not that Prudence would have heard it over the sounds of the stand mixers running.

~

Several hours later found three exhausted but triumphant bakers carefully loading up their catering van with tray upon tray of decadent, beautifully decorated cupcakes and other pastries - including several large, three tiered cakes. They smelled smoke and looked around - Connor murmuring "That's rather a lot of smoke for a barbeque..." He nodded towards the clouds of smoke that were drifting upwards several blocks away from where they were. There was a police manned roadblock, and the officer that was there was sending any traffic back from where they had come. The smoke was in the same general area as the apartment building... Connor hoped that didn't mean anything bad had happened. He tried to shake off a feeling of dread. He was probably just tired from frosting and decorating until his hands shook and he could hardly see straight.

"...I'm not sure it's a barbeque. But it's not as if we can do anything to help, so it is best not to try to worry about that. We should leave any potential fires to the professionals who have been trained how to put them out." Warren responded, frowning a little as he helped the two of them load up the last of the pastries.

"Connor, your apron is crooked and you have frosting on your arms." Prudence remarked, drawing the young man's attention away from the fire.

"Hmm? Oh, you're right... I... Ah... I seemed to have also spilled some glitter and fondant on this apron. I think it would be best if I changed into one of the spares." Connor responded, looking down at himself, realizing that he looked a bit of a mess.

"Alright, we managed to finish with plenty of time to get to the event location, and traffic permitting, we should be fine." Prudence answered.

Once Connor came back, she remarked as they all got into the van and it started without a hitch "I'm not sure if the organizers of the event will want us to stay, once we have set everything up - there are going to be some very famous people attending. I heard that Haytham Kenway is rumored to be coming to this event, and that the main reason why he's here is to reconnect with someone he dated before he became an internationally acclaimed and adored actor."

"Who knows if that's really true, though." Connor answered quietly "You know that those gossip magazines are always trying to cause trouble and to sell copies of their... Colorful editions, and most of the time they have to recant some of what they say in previous issues in their current one, or online."

"This is true... But could you imagine being someone who dated someone like the famous Haytham Kenway before he was big?" Prudence murmured, sighing a little and rubbing her temples "I must be tired, I'm sounding utterly ridiculous. I am going to take a short nap while we get to the event location. Please wake me up before we get there." Warren chuckled softly, giving his wife a fond smile before focusing on driving again.

Connor nodded, smiling a little "Do you want to switch with me, so that you have a bit more room to stretch out in the back?"

"I think that would be best, if you don't mind stopping for a bit, Warren?" Prudence responded, glancing over at her husband curiously.

"I don't mind stopping for a little while. We have plenty of time to get there, and so long as we're careful, we should be able to make it to the location before the deadline." Warren responded as he drove into a parking lot, so that Connor and Prudence could switch places. The drive to the location was, thankfully, uneventful.

~

Warren drove to the loading area of the truly stunning hotel, the lobby of which, was where the main party that they had been contracted to cater or would be held. It was a beautiful and extremely expensive place, but Connor wasn't going to let himself be distracted by the grandeur of this place - he had a job to do... As otherwise, the young man was fairly sure that he would end up feeling rather intimidated by the large building and the sheer amount of wealth that was so casually on display. The young man hoped that they would be allowed to leave, after they set up everything - dealing with people who were affluent enough to go to the Spring Gala was a... Daunting prospect at best, and while

Connor would do his best to be as polite as possible, the young man was fairly sure that there were rules and etiquette that the young man simply did not know that would possibly offend some of the potential guests.

The head event organizer - a frantic looking middle aged person in a nice looking suit - sprinted towards the three of them "You must be the bakery that was requested. I honestly and deeply apologize for dropping such a request on you. Do you have the tasters ready for me? I've been running around all day - each of the primary financial backers decided to cancel the usual vendors for the event and I've been scrambling to contact the vendors that they do want and I would have gone over to your bakery to have a taste, but I... I really haven't had the time. You are also the first to arrive and I am grateful that you are so early."

"Thank you for the apology - perhaps you should sit down for a bit while you try the tasters, which are right here? You look as though you are about to fall over." Prudence remarked, gesturing for the other to sit in the car seat that she had just got up from.

"I... Thank you. Sitting down will also allow me to focus more on the flavor of each of the pastries. I must say that they certainly look delicious." The event organizer responded, gratefully sitting down and grabbing a piece of chocolate cake. Their eyes lit up in delight and they quickly tasted each of the pastries, responding with "Those are incredible. I understand why he insisted on switching... I haven't given you my name yet, and for that I apologize. I'm Deborah Carter - please, call me Dobby. May I have your names?"

"I'm Warren and Prudence is my wife. Connor is the one hiding shyly in the van." The bakery co-owner introduced with a smile.

"I'm not hiding!" The younger man protested "I was shifting a few trays to make unloading easier." He stuck his head out of the back doors of the van, huffing a little and suppressing the urge to grumble further at one of his bosses, as it wasn't professional.

Warren chuckled in amusement at Connor's retort "Of course you were."

"Warren, don't tease him, even if it's possibly true." Prudence lightly admonished, though she was smiling a little, well aware that their star decorator tended to avoid cash register duty whenever he could, a he disliked talking to strangers.

"We have several rolling rays, to help you unload more quickly, as well as to help avoid any... Unfortunate accidents. I will guide you over to where the desserts are supposed to go." Dobby remarked, pretending to not heard the heard the teasing banter, for the sake of the rather flustered young man's sake "I do ask the three of you stay for the party - you will be paid for your time, of course - but sometimes the guests have questions about what is in their food and it is easiest to have those who made the food to be on hand."  
Connor went off in the direction that Dobby had gestured the trays were while the others continued to chat. The three carts that he found were a bit difficult to corral all at the same time, and he very nearly hit one of the walls a couple of different time, but he managed to get all three of them over to the van without too much trouble. The three of them loaded up the trays of pastries onto the rolling carts and were able to get all of the small pastries over to the dessert room and onto the tables without much incident. they did have a little bit of difficulty getting the three tiered cakes over a bump, but even though it had been tense for several long moments, the cakes held together and didn't even look the least bit worse for wear.

The three of them - and Dobby - took the time to make sure that each kind of pastry and cupcake was on each of the tables in a pleasing arrangement. Warren had gone to park the delivery van in a space dedicated to caterers, having been given direction where to park by Dobby as they had everything they needed out of the van, when Connor's phone rang.

"S-Sorry Prudence! I thought that I had turned it on silent when I came into work this morning..." Connor apologized, pulling out his phone and was about to end the call, when the other spoke up.

"If someone's calling you when they know you're at work, it's likely for a good reason. We have some time to rest, and you should answer it." His boss encouraged.

"O-Okay." The seventeen year old stuttered, pulling out his phone and answering it with a tentative "Hello?"

"Are you... Ratonhnhake:ton Connor Hill?" A professional sounding voice asked.

"Yes, I am. Who may I ask is calling?" Connor responded, surprised at how easily the other person was able to say his first name "Please call me Connor, most find it difficult to say my first name."

"I am Dr. Smith, and I regret to inform you that your mother is dead. She - along with every other adult tenant in the apartment building that you lived in, died in a fire that consumed the building. All of the teenagers and children have been accounted for. According to her will, as you are under the age of eighteen years old you will be going to live with your biological father..." The doctor paused for a moment, before continuing, a hint of surprise in the doctor's voice "... Haytham Kenway. The two of you will be making arrangements as to what to do with your mother's body."


	2. Chapter 2

****

The young man pressed a hand to his mouth, his whole body shaking in shock as he blinked furiously several times before breaking down into tears as he reeled at the information that he had just been given. On the off-chance that this was some sort of horrible,  _ awful _ prank of some kind, Connor googled the phone number that he had been called by, dark brown eyes widening a little in confirmation as he staggered towards the nearest chair and covered his face with his hands as his shoulders shook, the shock of the news ruining all of his composure in one horrible phone call.

Prudence came over to where the young man had all but collapsed, touching one of his shoulders, asking, a worried expression appearing on his face "What happened, Connor?"

"M-Mom died in a f-fire. D-do you remember the smoke we saw earlier? That was the apartment building. A... All of t-the a-adult tenants are d-dead." The teenager answered, trying not to stutter as he took in a couple of deep, calming breaths. He needed to pull himself together. Miss Carter would be back, as would Warren and he needed to look professional, so as not to embarrass the bakery. He was also reeling from the shock of finding that his father was famous international TV and Movie star, Haytham Kenway. He remembered that his mother mentioned that she had only known Connor's father for a few months, and that the two of them had been very much in love, but that his father's work caused the man to move around a lot, and the two of them had simply lost contact with one another. She had also implied that she hadn't informed his father that she was pregnant with his child.

"That's... I...  _ Oh _ . Thank you... Thank you for telling me that Connor. You need to take the rest of today off - take the rest of the  _ week _ off and don't argue with me about it. You can stay with Warren and I in our place above the bakery as I'm guessing that you'll need a place to stay." Prudence responded, a small gasp of shock leaving her, before she focused on what she could do to help. "Do you know which hospital her... Her body is at? Do they want you to collect her remains immediately, or do you have a couple of days to grieve before they bury her in a public grave?"

"I... I do know which hospital mom's body is being held at and as... As for... As for a place to stay, thank you very much... Apparently my biological father is alive - mom never told him about me... quite possibly as she didn't want me to get dragged into all of what surrounds  _ him _ all of the time." Connor murmured, wondering if there was something more to the reason why his mom never told his father that they had a child. Connor had often wondered, when he was younger, who his father was, but never had he guessed so  _ wildly _ as the truth that he now knew. "I'm not sure if he'll have anything to do with me."

"Nonsense! A kind, gentle and clever young man such as yourself? He'd be a fool not to want to get to know you." Prudence rebuffed, shaking her head a little. "May I give you a hug, Connor? You Â look as though you need one, but I know that you're a little shy about getting affection."

"I... A... A hug would be  _ wonderful _ thank you, Prudence." Connor responded with a watery smile, hugging the older baker back tightly, even as he struggled not to break down into tears again. He wasn't going to cry - not while he was at the venue.

"I will have Warren drive you to the bakery - don't protest and say that you'll be taking buses or the subway to get most of the way there, I won't hear of it. Warren will be back in plenty of time to help me with the catering aspect of this, and while he does tease you from time to time, never doubt that both of us  _ care _ for you, Connor. You're a wonderful employee and a dear friend of ours."

"T-thanks, Prudence. It really does help to hear that." The young man responded, a small smile appearing on his face as he let her go from the hug after a little bit longer, having been very grateful for the embrace, as it had helped to calm him down - at least for a little bit. He knew that his mother would prefer to be cremated, rather than buried. Even though it felt... Distasteful, to say the least, given how his mom had died, but Connor knew it was best to follow his mom's wishes on the matter.

Warren and Dobby came back, chatting about something and laughing, before the pair noted the still visibly  _ distraught _ young man. "Connor, what happened?" Warren asked, coming over to where the young man and his wife were.

Connor opened his mouth, trying to make himself tell the other, but the words were stuck in his throat, and he felt as if he were choking on something. A sob escaped him and the young man fought the urge to once again dissolve into tears, the shock and misery of what had happened to his mom still so fresh and present in his mind.

Prudence explained, putting the young man out of his misery and explained to the two of them what had happened.. Dobby and Warren both agreed that Connor should head back to the bakery, so that he could rest and recover from the initial shock of what had happened, and Warren wouldn't hear any of Connor's half-hearted protests on the matter. Dobby called a taxi service to send Connor back to the bakery, promising to pay for the fare entirely, also not hearing a word against that either.

"Thank you for your kindness." The young man managed out, voice shaking and the tiny smile on his face watery and half forced. He planned to clean up what they hadn't gotten to in their frantic rush to get everything done, because if he didn't do  _ anything _ while processing this news, Connor knew that end badly.

~

Connor just got out of the cab that had taken him to the bakery, talking with the driver for a bit to reaffirm that the trip had been already paid for in full, and had gotten into the small bakery - making sure to lock up behind him, as it was after the hours that they were open for customers and besides - the young man knew that he wasn't in a mood anywhere near being able to handle speaking with strangers while being polite and friendly at the moment... Not that he would have been deliberately rude to anyone, but would rather avoid talking to anyone at  _ all _ given the misery that was running through him.

But some force in the universe seemed to hate him, as no sooner had he gotten into the kitchen, about to start washing dishes, when his phone rang. For a couple of moments, he thought it might be Prudence or Warren, checking up on him to make sure that he made it back to the clinic safely - but the party had started half an hour ago, so they wouldn't be able to talk to him, at least not without potentially being spotted and chewed out for being  _ unprofessional _ or something similar. The phone number said  _ unlisted _ and nothing else, which was more than a little odd. Part of Connor didn't want to answer it - but it could be an extension from the hospital - possibly Kanen or one of the others and Connor knew that he would feel terrible if he deliberately ignored one of the others, while they reached out while they were grieving as well. With a deep sigh, the young man hit the answer button, raising the phone to one of his ears and asking "Yes, who is it?"

"Am I speaking with Ratonhnhake:ton Connor Hill?" A professional sounding man's voice - with a hint of a foreign accent asked.

"Yes, who is it that is calling me?" Connor responded, trying to keep suspicion out of his voice and hoping that he did not fail. He had heard of news reporters who chased down tear-jerker stories as soon as they had happened - and if this person was one such person, Connor was going to hang up on them as soon as he figured that out.

"My name is William Johnson. I am Haytham Kenway's personal lawyer. I was contacted earlier today by one of the doctors at Davenport Hospital, informing me that one Kaniehti:io Hill, has died, and that she wishes that you, her son go to your father, my client. The doctor sent me documents proving that you are in fact, my client's son." The man responded. "I have ensured that in addition to the standard patient confidentiality that the medical staff that tended to your mother, they have signed a nondisclosure agreement stating that they will not speak of what they know, regarding my client or you."

This startled the young man somewhat. Connor hadn't expected Kenway - or his father's people it seemed - to move this quickly, if the Englishman even cared that he had family, other than his... Father and older sister who still lived in England, if the gossip about the actor's family still held true. There had been something about his mother dying a few years ago or something, not that Connor had really been paying attention to that at the time. "... Thank you? I guess it might prevent them from saying something to the paparazzi that stalk celebrities. I'm not quite sure  _ why _ you contacted me."

The other didn't speak for several moments, long enough for Connor to wonder if the phone had cut out or the other had hung up, but then Johnson spoke again "It was her wish to have you come to live with him, in case she died before you were eighteen. Your seventeenth birthday was less than a month ago, yes?"

"Yes, that is true. But is your client the least bit interested in having anything to do with me? Given the fact that  _ you _ his legal counsel are talking to me, rather than Kenway himself, I suspect I know the answer to that - unless he hasn't been told that someone he had a relationship with is dead." Connor realized that he was being perhaps more blunt and harsher than he really should be, in this matter. But today had been long and it seemed to be getting longer by the minute.

There was another pause as the lawyer seemed to be very carefully choosing his words "I have yet to inform my client of her death and your existence, as he has an event he is going to be attending, and as he planned on reaching out to her again, I hesitated to tell him of her abrupt passing as it might cause him pain on an evening where he... Is required to be charming and cheerful."

"The Spring Gala or whatever. I know about it - I work for the bakery that was contracted for the event and heard a rumor that he was attending the party." There would be more than a couple of cameras and enterprising paparazzi, eager for a juicy story - or the hint of a story, with which to wreak havoc with and get paid well for.

"Yes, that particular event." Johnson responded, pausing for a couple of moments before continuing "I have known Haytham for several decades, and he has always wanted a family. He will very much want to meet you, if you are willing to speak with him."

"I... I would like to meet my father. If he wants me to live with him after we talk, I'd be delighted to do so. But if he doesn't, I won't cause any trouble for him, I promise. I do have a steady job and should be able to find an apartment fairly easily." Connor responded, trying not to get his hopes up. The thought of still having family was tempting, but the young man was unsure as to how well the actor would take to him.

"I doubt that he would send you away from him, even if the two of you didn't get along at first. I am going to send Thomas Hickey - your father's driver - to pick you up and bring you to the hotel that he is staying at. Where are you?" Johnson asked, sounding encouraging and surprisingly kind. Connor gave the other the address before informing the other that he was in the bakery - having been sent there by his bosses as they were aware that he had just lost his mother. The lawyer informed him that Hickey would be by to pick him up within the hour.

Connor saw something very strange, as he waited for Hickey to pick him up and take him to his father - or at least to where the other was staying. He spotted the superintendent and owner of the building - one George Washington - walking down the street, talking animatedly on his phone, a broad smile on his face... Which was strange, given that the other was  _ supposed _ to be at the same meeting that had held all of the adult tenants - and the fire that had killed all of them had happened just as the meeting was supposed to begin... So how had Washington survived? And why was the man so  _ happy _ ? It didn't make any sense.

~

Almost exactly an hour after Johnson had called him, a black limo rolled up to and parked right in front of the bakery. Connor had left a note explaining to Prudence and Warren that he was going to go live with his father - possibly until he was eighteen, and that he hoped that he would be able to continue to work for them, but was unsure as to whether he would be able to get his father's permission at first. It was irritating, but because he was under eighteen, he had to have a parent's permission in order to work, as he wasn't an emancipated minor - then again... Depending on how it went, Connor just might end up emancipated so that he was out of his father's hair.

A cheerful looking man in a floppy hat came up to the bakery, knocking on the door and calling out "Hello, I am Thomas Hickey - Johnson told me that you were expecting me? Do you have a preferred name, lad?"

Connor left the bakery, locking it up behind him before responding "Please call me Connor, as few can say my given name. I wish I could say I'm glad to meet you..."

"But given the circumstances we first met, I can understand why you're not thrilled to meet me. 'Aytham has been told about your mother's passing, and is making sure that she'll be cremated and put to rest properly, so you don't have to worry about any of that. The boss wanted to come meet you himself, but  _ Charlie _ reminded him that as one of the event financial backers, he can't go haring off elsewhere until the gala is at least half over, which would be around midnight. He's also staying at the hotel where the fancy shindig is going down, but we can use one of the side entrances to avoid all the hassle that going through the front would cause, if you'd rather." Thomas responded, looking him over and shaking his head a little "You look so much like the boss it's spooky."

"... Thank you. Mother said that she would like to be interred at the Westville cemetery, if at all possible." Connor responded as he followed the other to the car, glad that he didn't have to think about any of that, but feeling rather guilty - shouldn't he have a bit more to do with burying her than he was?

"I will make sure to pass it along." Thomas responded as he started the car, nodding a little in acknowledgement.

~

Despite how fraught the day had been, Connor had very nearly fallen asleep on the trip back to the hotel - Thomas as the man preferred to be called - had picked up on that, not talking much on the way over, perhaps hoping that he fell asleep? Then again the older man might have picked up on the fact that small talk wasn't something that Connor was interested in participating in.

They were able to get to the side entrance without any difficulties, and the two of them made their way up to the hotel room, where they ran into a dark haired, mustachioed man who was glaring at the pair of them. "Thomas, who is  _ this _ ?"

"Haytham's son, Connor. Connor, this is Charlie. Haytham's press agent and resident killjoy. Don't mind the lemon face he's making, he's usually like that unless th' boss is around. Then he's all sunshine and roses." Thomas introduced, a mischievous little grin appearing on his face.

"I am  _ not _ a killjoy. Simply because I ensure that you or one of the others doesn't do something stupid that would embarrass Mr. Kenway, does not mean I don't enjoy appropriate fun at reasonable times." Lee huffed, still glaring. "There is a spare bedroom for you to sleep in, young man. Do try not to cause trouble. More than you already have, that is." with that, Lee turned on his heel and left the room.

"... Is he always that rude in private, or is he just in a particularly bad mood tonight for some reason?" Connor asked, trying and failing not to glare at the door through which Lee left.

"If by that, you mean whether or not he's always got that giant pole shoved up his ass? Unfortunately he's like that a lot of the time." Thomas responded with a sigh, shaking his head a little. The other looked him over before asking "Have you had anything for dinner, yet? If you want something, just order room service."

"I... I'll keep that in mind, thank you." The young man responded. He didn't feel particularly hungry, but knew that he should probably have something before it got too late.

"Unless there's anything that you'd like me to get you, I'm going to head off now. Have as good an evening Â as you can, lad." Thomas responded, heading to the door after several minutes of silence, his body posture showing he felt a little bit awkward.

"...If it's not too much trouble, could you get me a sandwich from one of the close by delis? As well as a bag of chips. It's not that the food on the menu here don't sound incredible it's just... All of this is really overwhelming. I have about forty bucks in cash on me, and you're welcome to get something for yourself if you like." Connor responded, grabbing his wallet from one of his pockets and reaching for the money.

"Lad, I'd be happy to get something for you, and you don't need to pay me for it - I have an allowance for work expenses, which this would fall under. I'll be back in a half an hour at most." The Irishman promised.

Connor nodded, having heard about such things before, but still feeling rather awkward about just  _ asking _ for the other to do something like that "Thank you."


	3. Chapter 3

A week passed Connor by before the young man knew it. He had a couple of brief conversations with his father, and had gotten the impression that the other was also grieving for Ziio as well. The actor had spoken with her over the phone shortly before she had died... Haytham had also told him that the other's main goal for coming to New York City had been to try to catch up with her, but that Lee had talked him into going to the Spring Gala, and as the agency that Haytham was with was one of the financial backers, as he was in the city, the silver haired actor was obligated to go. The celebration of life party that Connor and Haytham had put together was going to start in a couple of hours. It was being held at Duncan's church and Connor had just finished setting up everything.

The young man had also met one of the psychologist that his father's agency. Dr. Cormac, or Shay as the Irishman preferred to be called, had talked with him a couple of times. Connor guessed that the psychologist had been sent over to help his father through his grief. Shay was very emotionally perceptive, from Connor's rather limited interactions with the psychologist, in addition to having a warm and affable personality. Shay also didn't like Lee, which was a bonus as the young baker was rapidly starting to intensely dislike the public relations agent... Especially as Lee seemed to hate it when anyone else took up more of his father's time than Lee himself did... And given that Haytham and Connor were trying to get to know one another, that meant that Connor and Lee were in conflict with one another.

The PR agent had also taken to scheduling a lot of outings during the week that his father had to attend, lest his reputation falter, or the paparazzi find out that the actor was mourning the death of a woman whom he had once dated, and was trying to figure out how to get along with the son that his father had unknowingly had with said woman.

Connor fidgeted with the rather formal attire that he was wearing. Lee had insisted that everyone wear something rather formal - and Haytham had made sure that Connor had clothes that he could wear, given that the young man had lost almost everything he owned in the fire that had claimed the apartment building and so many lives. The young man finished setting up the last of the decorations - a series of pictures of his mother that he had on his phone - vacation photos, mostly - when he heard someone come in.

It was his father, who looked a little off-put as he walked over to where Connor was. The older man's grey eyes looked him over and an attempt at a smile appeared on the actor's face "I... Good Â morning Connor. I wish that I could have been here to help set things up..."

"But Lee made you go on that early morning talk show, yeah I know. He likes to keep you really busy, doesn't he?" Connor grumbled.

"That he does. Charles is a very... Driven person, and he is determined to make sure that I continue to do well." Haytham responded. The other looked around the room before asking "Do you know who is coming to the... To her..." His father couldn't seem to quite say it, and Connor well understood what he was asking.

"I know that at least ten of her friends are coming, half of them are work friends. More might be coming, of those who... Who are still alive, but given how... How quickly everything's moving, not everyone will be able to make it here today." Connor's eyes wandered over to the urn that he and Haytham had picked out together, at the funeral home that the two of them had gone to. It really did fit his mother's personality very well, and he hoped that her ashes would rest well there.

His father nodded in understanding, shifting a little, before saying "Perhaps... Perhaps we should hold another celebration of life a year from now? If... If you want to, of course. To give everyone who knew and loved her time to put their affairs in order and come if they wish to do so."

"I... I think that sounds like a good idea to me, thank you, father." Connor responded, finding calling someone father - especially this enigmatic if well known person - distinctly off-putting but something that would hopefully grow on him as time passed.

"I... Thank you, son." The actor responded. There was a lull in the awkward conversation before Haytham spoke again "I... I will be returning to Los Angeles soon. I would like you to accompany me, but if you would rather stay here in New York, I understand..."

"I... No, I would like to go with you. I-If you don't mind of course." Connor responded, shaking his head a little and looking up hopefully at his father. "When would we be leaving?"

"I would have preferred to stay at least another week, but I recently finished working on a movie that is due to come out soon, and as per the contract with that movie maker, I - along with the rest of the main cast - must appear at the opening party four days from now." His father looked distinctly unhappy with this idea.

The younger man nodded "I... Very well. I will tell Prudence and Warren that I'm moving and won't be able to work for them anymore."

A considering expression appeared on Haytham's face at Connor's words, as the other seemed to consider something. Before the other could speak what was on his mind, the first of the guests arrived. A stubborn old man by the name of Achilles Davenport whom his mother had known for quite some time. Connor smiled a little at the newcomer, starting to talk to him.

~

A week passed Connor by before the young man knew it. He had a couple of brief conversations with his father, and had gotten the impression that the other was also grieving for Ziio as well. The actor had spoken with her over the phone shortly before she had died... Haytham had also told him that the other's main goal for coming to New York City had been to try to catch up with her, but that Lee had talked him into going to the Spring Gala, and as the agency that Haytham was with was one of the financial backers, as he was in the city, the silver haired actor was obligated to go. The celebration of life party that Connor and Haytham had put together was going to start in a couple of hours. It was being held at Duncan's church and Connor had just finished setting up everything.

The young man had also met one of the psychologist that his father's agency. Dr. Cormac, or Shay as the Irishman preferred to be called, had talked with him a couple of times. Connor guessed that the psychologist had been sent over to help his father through his grief. Shay was very emotionally perceptive, from Connor's rather limited interactions with the psychologist, in addition to having a warm and affable personality. Shay also didn't like Lee, which was a bonus as the young baker was rapidly starting to intensely dislike the public relations agent... Especially as Lee seemed to hate it when anyone else took up more of his father's time than Lee himself did... And given that Haytham and Connor were trying to get to know one another, that meant that Connor and Lee were in conflict with one another.

The PR agent had also taken to scheduling a lot of outings during the week that his father had to attend, lest his reputation falter, or the paparazzi find out that he actor was mourning the death of a woman whom he had once dated, and was trying to figure out how to get along with the son that his father had unknowingly had with said woman.

Connor fidgeted with the rather formal attire that he was wearing. Lee had insisted that everyone wear something rather formal - and Haytham had made sure that Connor had clothes that he could wear, given that the young man had lost almost everything he owned in the fire that had claimed the apartment building and so many lives. The young man finished setting up the last of the decorations - a series of pictures of his mother that he had on his phone - vacation photos, mostly - when he heard someone come in.

It was his father, who looked a little off-put as he walked over to where Connor was. The older man's grey eyes looked him over and an attempt at a smile appeared on the actor's face "I... Good Â morning Connor. I wish that I could have been here to help set things up..."

"But Lee made you go on that early morning talk show, yeah I know. He likes to keep you really busy, doesn't he?" Connor grumbled.

"That he does. Charles is a very... Driven person, and he is determined to make sure that I continue to do well." Haytham responded. The other looked around the room before asking "Do you know who is coming to the... To her..." His father couldn't seem to quite say it, and Connor well understood what he was asking.

"I know that at least ten of her friends are coming, half of them are work friends. More might be coming, of those who... Who are still alive, but given how... How quickly everything's moving, not everyone will be able to make it here today." Connor's eyes wandered over to the urn that he and Haytham had picked out together, at the funeral home that the two of them had gone to. It really did fit his mother's personality very well, and he hoped that her ashes would rest well there.

His father nodded in understanding, shifting a little, before saying "Perhaps... Perhaps we should hold another celebration of life a year from now? If... If you want to, of course. To give everyone who knew and loved her time to put their affairs in order and come if they wish to do so."

"I... I think that sounds like a good idea to me, thank you, father." Connor responded, finding calling someone father - especially this enigmatic if well known person - distinctly off-putting but something that would hopefully grow on him as time passed.

"I... Thank you, son." The actor responded. There was a lull in the awkward conversation before Haytham spoke again "I... I will be returning to Los Angeles soon. I would like you to accompany me, but if you would rather stay here in New York, I understand..."

"I... No, I would like to go with you. I-If you don't mind of course." Connor responded, shaking his head a little and looking up hopefully at his father. "When would we be leaving?"

"I would have preferred to stay at least another week, but I recently finished working on a movie that is due to come out soon, and as per the contract with that movie maker, I - along with the rest of the main cast - must appear at the opening party four days from now." His father looked distinctly unhappy with this idea.

The younger man nodded "I... Very well. I will tell Prudence and Warren that I'm moving and won't be able to work for them anymore."

A considering expression appeared on Haytham's face at Connor's words, as the other seemed to consider something. Before the other could speak what was on his mind, the first of the guests arrived. A stubborn old man by the name of Achilles Davenport whom his mother had known for quite some time. Connor smiled a little at the newcomer, starting to talk to him.

~

Connor was glad for the couple days' warning before they left for LA. It gave him enough time to say goodbye to everyone - including a phone to call Kanen, who had been taken by an aunt out to somewhere in the Dakotas. Â His best friend was having some difficulties adjusting to small town life, but Connor hoped that Kanen did find some happiness there. Connor was also able to spend a full day with Prudence and Warren as he had grown close to the pair of older bakers and had learned quite a lot from them.

He really wasn't looking forwards the long, six hour flight ahead of him sometime tomorrow. Connor would have liked to know a bit more about when they were going and all of that, but no one was in the hotel room that the young man had been  _ asked _ to stay in after he had very nearly been ambushed by several paparazzi yesterday for very long except for Lee - who had stayed just long enough for the two of them to get into a nasty - if utterly  _ confusing _ \- argument as Connor didn't know what had set off the irritable PR agent, nor why the other had decided that everything that was going wrong - minor problems though they seemed to be - were all  _ Connor's _ fault... He had also spoken with Dr. Cormac, but the psychologist knew  _ less _ about when all of them were flying out than Connor did, frustratingly enough.

The door to the hotel room that he was staying at opened, and in walked Haytham, who was on his phone, either texting someone or looking something up. The actor glanced over at where Connor had been sitting and quietly reading a book that Pitcairn had thoughtfully left for him to read. "Good afternoon, Connor. Has anyone told you about the itinerary tomorrow?"

"No. I haven't seen anyone long enough to ask except for Dr. Shay, and he doesn't know when we're leaving, either." The teenager responded with a frustrated grumble.

"Charles was supposed to tell you earlier." Haytham responded with a small sigh before shaking his head a little before continuing "We will be flying out at seven in the morning tomorrow, which means that we need to be downstairs and in the car that the hotel is  _ generously _ providing us by five am to ensure that we get through security in plenty of time. I had hoped for a later start time, but Charles reminded me that I have a talk show appearance tomorrow at six in the afternoon and cancelling the interview would cause some unfortunate problems."

The young man shrugged a little - as a baker, he frequently got up really early in the morning, so that by the time eight am rolled around, there were freshly baked morning pastries for people who were on their way to work could grab for breakfast. "Alright, I'll make sure to set an alarm on my phone."

"... As you only have a couple of sets of clothes, I wanted to ask if you would like to speak with the personal dresser and shopper that's on staff. They can get clothes that suit your style and size while we are flying over to LA, so that you have something new to change into." Haytham offered, looking a little bit awkward "And... I have been told that you might wish to be a veterinarian? If you wish, I would be happy to help you pay for schooling, if you would like to start - whether you wish to start the path to becoming a veterinarian soon, or would like to wait a couple of years. I have also been told that you might wish to have a bakery of your own... I can pay for business classes, so that you would know how to run that side of it... If you would like to continue to work as at a bakery, I can arrange for you to have an interview with the head baker at Elise's Bakery and Cafe, if you'd like. Or anywhere else that you'd prefer to work at."

A soft gasp left Connor and he pressed his hands to his mouth, startled. "Th... That's... That's a very  _ famous _ and highly awarded bakery..." The chance to work at such a place would be  _ amazing _ but the thought of going for it was also incredibly intimidating. "I... I'd be very grateful for the opportunity to interview with them." The young man was nearly dizzy in shock. He was also smiling a little - both at the  _ opportunity _ as well as the other offers that his father had given him. "I might go back to school in a couple of years... But I've been in school for so much of my life it's nice to do something  _ else _ for awhile, you know?"

Haytham nodded in understanding, humming a little "I understand the feeling well. Shortly after I finished high school, I went backpacking across Europe, starting out with the money that I made during my summer jobs while I was in high school. I worked when I ran out of money and wandered around for a couple of years... I tried out for a small stage play in Belgium and the director took a shine to the way I acted. The rest is...  _ Well publicized _ history, for the most part. I met your mother just after I immigrated to the US. I was in an off-Broadway production of  _ Cats _ \- I was in my costume and she told me that I looked ridiculous. Then she offered me a saucer of milk. I accepted it - it was _blisteringly_ hot that day and the stage lights are quite warming after a while and we started to talking." There was a mix of love and a hint of melancholy in his father's voice - the way that one spoke of a newly bittersweet memory of a loved one who had died.

It was good to know that his father missed his mom as much as Connor did, and he was glad to know how the two of them met, he chuckled softly "I asked mom how she met you. She just told me that she ran into you while you were on break from a musical. She called you charming."

His father - who had been flirted at by some of the most beautiful and handsome people in the world, actually  _ blushed  _ at Connor's words, a small smile appearing on his face "I... I am glad that I made such a good impression on Ziio. It took me three weeks to work up the courage to speak with her again."

Connor smiled softly at that, delighted to learn more about his father - the way the other's eyes lit up and the gentleness with which his father spoke about his mother was heart warming... The way the other's light blue eyes shone with care and love... It was also  _ breathtaking _ . "I'll talk to the personal shopper - what's their number?" Haytham gave him the number, and just as if summoned by the fact that the two of them were starting to understand one another a little, Lee materialized out of  _ nowhere _ taking Haytham off to some appointment somewhere. Connor made sure to talk to them, telling the shopper and describing to the dresser what he liked to wear.

~

Two days later found Connor in front of Elise's Bakery in a well-tailored suit,  _ extremely _ nervous. He was to meet with Miss De la Serre - the Justine named in the bakery - in fifteen minutes. Connor pulled himself together, shaking off as much of the nervousness as he could. He would do the best that he could in the interview, and freaking himself out would only cause him to make mistakes that he might not make otherwise.

The bell rang merrily as Connor stepped in, and a very pretty young woman came to the front, wearing a neat uniform under a no-nonsense off-white apron. "Ah, are you Connor, here for the interview?" She asked, looking him over.

"Yes, miss." The young man answered respectfully, nodding a little.

"Alright. You're a bit early, but that's good - LA traffic is a miserable snarl at the best of times, and I like it when my employees are a little bit early as it's better than being late. I'm Justine. Take off the suit jacket and put on an apron - there's one on the hook to the left. This is going to be a practical interview - I want to see how well you bake and decorate - is that understood?"

Connor nodded "Yes, ma'am." He immediately walked over to the apron, putting it on after taking off the (ridiculously expensive silk) suit jacket and began the tasks that she had wanted to see him do. Making five batches of cupcakes, cooling and decorating all of them within a certain time period was the trickiest part of the interview, but the young man was happy by the way that everything turned out, knowing that he had done his best - and those fondant roses were some of the  _ best _ he'd ever made. Connor had fifteen minutes to spare on the decorating, and he carefully looked over each cupcake, fixing little mistakes that he'd made on a few of them, stepping away when Justine called time.

She looked over each cupcake critically, writing something down on the clipboard that she'd been carrying around since the start of his working interview. She tasted a cupcake and the frosting of each of the batches as well, humming for a bit. "You're very good, for someone with the experience that you do, and I'd be  _ delighted _ to bring you aboard. You do have a knack for decorating - although there is an easier way to make fondant roses - I'll start by teaching you how."

Connor nodded, a bright grin appearing on his face "Yes, ma'am!" and eagerly got to work. He met the rest of the staff as they came in - including Elise's husband, Arno.


	4. Chapter 4

For Connor, the past few months passed in a pleasant blur. He was able to get along fairly well with most of his co-workers. An older baker by the name of Maurice - a classically trained French pastry chef didn't like him very much - but he was told that  _ Chevalier _ as he was mockingly called behind the other's back didn't like anyone but Arno and Elise, as he thought that anyone who wasn't trained in France to be inferior and shouldn't be allowed in any kitchen.. So the young man did his best to ignore the ill-tempered man's grumbling and bitching.

He had been able to learn more about Haytham and the two of them were getting along - at least they were in the way that they were able to interact with one another... Which was primarily online, as his father had been asked to work on a new TV series - it was going to have an all-star cast and it was going to be partially set in a historical time period - although which one or ones, Connor didn't know, as his father could only give him hints, as the other had signed a non-disclosure contract to not speak about the project that the other was working on. His father was currently half-way across the world, part of the cast that was part of the first season. Connor was rather fascinated to know that an entire season of TV as filmed in a few months, and it took longer for the technical crew to cut and piece everything together in the ways that they wanted it, and of course, TV shows were generally released one episode a week.

Currently, the young man was kneading a loaf of bread on a lovely Friday afternoon - part of a weekly package that he sent off to his father. The director of the TV show had decided that the acting professionals would only eat foods that were available in the time period that they were filming in... His father had hinted to him in an email that they were filming in the eighteenth century during the first week, so after a bit of research and some finagling, Connor had decided to make 18th century style breads and pastries, sending a week's worth of such to Haytham - who had told him that the acting professionals were eating a lot of potatoes for carbs for the most part, with the occasional bit of bread.

Connor had thought that was a  _ terrible _ thing to have to suffer through, and had promised to help his father out with that. He tracked down authentic looking packages, carefully packing the breads and pastries - sweetened with honey for the most part, as sugar was very expensive back then - and wrote an accompanying letter, to make sure that the bread goods would be given to his father and  _ only _ Haytham, unless the other decided that he wanted to share with the others. Connor had made sure to track down honest to goodness  _ parchment paper _ (unlined, of course) and was glad that he could remember most of what he had learned in the calligraphy class that he had taken in high school, as calligraphy pens were used in certain parts of the world during the colonial era. It had been rather fun, tracking all of it down and working from such a recipe, and Haytham had called him the first several times that he had gotten the care packages from Connor, delighted by it's contents - including the beautifully written letter. Connor had happily answered the phone calls - despite it being three in the morning at the time - glad that his father enjoyed them.

The young man did other pastries and different kinds of breads each week, making sure to do his best to stay true to Â colonial era foodstuffs of that type, and the delighted emails and thanks from Haytham were their own reward. Connor also rather enjoyed the challenge to track down some of the ingredients. Haytham had a wonderful sense of humor, and Connor enjoyed the wordplay that the two of them could get into... Connor glanced at his phone, refreshing the page in the hopes that his father had responded to the latest question that he had sent the other.

The young man had also recently encountered a difficulty with another one of his Â coworkers. Erin had been working with Elise's bakery since they had wanted to hire a new person, and  _ nothing _ that Connor ever did was up to the other's standards... If he was left in charge of the kitchen because Arno and Elise were out doing something. When they were there, he was all smiles and good humor, but Erin could get downright  _ nasty _ if he was the highest ranking baker. Connor didn't know what to do, as he was the newest member of the team and had written about his concerns and worries to Haytham, asking the other for a bit of advice about what he should do.

He checked his email again after he put the loaf of bread that he'd been kneading into the oven and washed up the dishes that he'd used before, humming softly as his eyes lit up, as Haytham had responded to his question, reading through it.

{ _ Connor, you should speak with Arno and Elise about your difficulties with Erin and Maurice - they might be targeting you because you are the newest member of the bakery. They could be bullying you as they fear that you might be one of their replacements, as such places do have replacements being trained by the staff - including the person that they will be replacing, and in such a high pressure and competitive field, it's something that can happen. I'll be calling at about eleven pm your time about something, my apologies if I am waking you up at that time, as I know that you have to get up early for work. If you don't like my advice, you could talk to Shay about it, he might have something else to offer. _

_ Thank you for the berry tart, by the way. It was very delicious, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. I can't thank you enough for the care packages - and the lovely letters that accompanied them - I look forward to them each week. I hope that your day has been going well, otherwise. _ }

Connor hummed a little at the advice it felt a bit like  _ tattling _ to the young man, but perhaps it was the better option to go with... But they might not believe him, and he could antagonize both of the more experienced bakers further. Besides, there had been a competition between the staff members - their bakery had been recently contracted to cater a high end party or something like that, and several members of the staff would be accompanying Elise and Arno, and no one yet knew who was on the short list - and both Chevalier and Erin thought that it was terribly unfair that the bosses had decided that  _ everyone _ had a chance to go to the event, it all depended on who impressed them enough in a number of categories - what all of those categories were, Connor didn't know.

He was simply doing the best that he could at the tasks that he was given and trying to get along with one another. The young man rather doubted that he would be able to get it, as he was the newest higher. He typed back { _ Thanks for the advice, I'll keep it in mind. I might being a little oversensitive about it, as there's a bit of a competition, and I know that some of the others seemed to be the kind of people who hate to lose at anything. I'll be sure to set an alarm a half hour before you're going to call, so that I'm awake for it - besides tomorrow is Saturday, which I have off. I'm glad that you're enjoying the food that I'm sending to you. It's been fun learning how to bake them. _ }

Haytham responded back after a few moments { _ I had forgotten that it's nearly the weekend. The days pass strangely here, while I'm filming - we film during all times of the day and evening, and I have almost entirely lost track of time for the most part. I have to head off now - the director is calling all of us in for an early morning meeting. I am looking forwards to speaking with you later today _ .}

Connor smiled softly at the message, writing back with a cheerful { _ Good luck and break a leg~!} _

~

The young man had just pulled out the loaf of bread - a savory bit of baking - and turned it out onto a rack to cool without the edges burning, when his phone rang. Connor grabbed it, looking at the number and frowning a little - he didn't recognize the number. He answered it with a cautious "Hello, who is this?"

"Hello, Connor." Arno greeted cheerfully "I realize that it's a tad bit late, but as you know, we are going to be catering a red carpet even, three weeks from now. Elise and I have been deciding on which of our staff will be going with us to that event, and we have decided that you are one of the people coming with us. Now, for the event, we have been given a rather odd request - that we need to cook colonial era pastries and breads - and to make sure that they look and taste both  _ authentic _ and delicious. I know it's a bit of an odd request, to say the least. I would like you to research a couple of different kinds of savory breads if you would like to go."

"I'd be happy to go, and I actually do know a bit about colonial era cooking as-" Connor paused for a couple of moments as he wondered if it would sound weird if he told the other that he had been sending 18th century style baked goods to his father for the better part of three months. It probably  _ would _ so he finished the sentence with "Because I was curious and wanted to learn."

"Excellent! Bring the  _ receipts _ as they were called then that you like best, and we'll see how they taste. We'll be cooking them in our modern ovens, of course, but we can make them look closer to what they probably would have looked like in that time period." Arno responded, a hint of surprise entering the other's voice.

"I will, boss. I hope that you and Elise have a wonderful weekend." Connor murmured, a bit surprised himself - it was a rather  _ strange _ coincidence, but perhaps that was all it was. Or perhaps the party had something to do with the TV show that his father had been working on to help to bring to life. The two of them talked about the details of the event for a couple more minutes before Arno disconnected the call.

~

Connor grumbled unhappily as his phone went off at ten thirty in the evening. He had gone to bed over an hour ago, and though he technically could have stayed up later, the young man was a habitually early riser - even on weekends - and he tended not to like staying up too late, as it made him groggy and grumpy for the day after a late night. He stared blearily at his phone for several minutes before rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, the knowledge that he was going to talk to his father soon finally clicking in his mind.

Precisely at 11 pm, his phone rang, with his father's number appearing on the caller id "Good evening - err afternoon? Dad." Connor greeted, still a little sleepy.

"Good evening, Connor." Haytham responded, his warm, rich voice holding a tinge of amusement. "I thought that I would tell you that I will be returning to LA in three weeks. I will be attending a party in celebration of the TV show - the pilot episode will be airing that evening."

"... Oh... I'll be working that evening, at a formal event of some kind. I'm not sure when I'll be home that evening, and we'll probably be working frantically all day the whole week, to make sure that everything is how the client wants it to be. I'm really glad that you're coming home soon! I'm just.. Sleepy and a bit disappointed that I won't be able to meet you at the airport when you're coming home." Connor responded, a bit of regret audible in his voice. He had accompanied Haytham to the airport when the other had left months ago, and it had been nice to spend that time with his father.

"I understand - work is important for the both of us, and I am not sure when I will be home from the party - I have been  _ asked _ to stay for at least three hours, and possibly longer." His father responded with a bit of a sigh, his voice full of understanding.

Connor shivered a little - it was nice to actually  _ hear _ his father's voice again, but he was fighting a bit of a  _ blush _ ... But why? Haytham was his  _ father _ but... There seemed to be something about the older man's voice that was terribly distracting "Maybe we'll be both at the same event and will be able to see one another. I'm supposed to be in some period outfit, hopefully it won't look too ridiculous."

"Perhaps. And I am sure that you will look good in anything that you wear. The key to making anything look good one yourself is  _ confidence _ . If you are comfortable in what you wear, others will notice your confidence." Haytham responded.

Connor tried not to yawn audibly and failed as he responded with a sleepy "I'll keep that in mind, thank you..."

Haytham chuckled softly, and the sound caused  _ butterflies _ to flutter chaotically in his stomach and Connor felt his mouth dry up as his father instructed "I am glad to speak with you, Connor but I can tell that you are tired. I'll let you go back to sleep."

The younger man straightened up, shaking his head a little, answering quickly "No! It's been  _ weeks _ since I last heard your voice and I  _ miss _ you."

There was a tenderness in his father's voice that made the butterflies  _ worse _ "I miss you too, Connor. I also care for you, and I want you to get the rest that you need. I'll call you in the morning for you, alright? I have the weekend off as well, and I am a bit of a night owl."

A bright smile appeared on Connor's face and he responded with a cheerful "Thank you! I'll look forwards to that phone call, like I looked forwards to that call, as I looked forwards to this one... I'll be better at talking when I'm more awake, I promise." God that sounded  _ awful _ .

Haytham chuckled again and answered with a warm "I'm flattered to hear that you look forwards to speaking with me, son. Rest well and good night."

"Thank you.... I hope that your day goes well, rake:ni!" Connor murmured, waiting for a couple of moments as the phone call ended. He dropped off to sleep shortly after that, smiling softly at the memory of speaking to Haytham.

~

Three weeks later found Connor frantically aiding several of the other catering companies who had been hired to feed the high-powered and generally very demanding guests who were supposed to be starting to come to the party at any moment. With the diligence of his bosses, their bakery had managed to come when the party organizers had asked the caterers to arrive to ensure that everything was ready by the time that the guests were due to start arriving - but some of the others had gotten trapped in the terrible quagmire that was afternoon LA traffic and had only  _ just _ started to arrive.

It would be a bit easier for him to maneuver around, if the assigned costume that he'd been given to wear to this period party wasn't a period-accurate maid's dress. All of the staff from the various companies were being required to wear maid dresses - and he wasn't the only person who had protested wearing such things - surely a butler's outfit would work? But their protests had been hushed by the event organizer, who simply stated that they wanted all of the staff from the various companies to match, in order to further immerse the guests in the ambiance of the party... The organizer had also implied that if anyone else protested, they would be dismissed from the party without pay, so they subsided. Everyone had been given a name tag, so that they could be identified... Although how that was less immersion breaking than allowing those who wanted to wear something other than a maid's dress, Connor did not know and would have asked, if it wouldn't get the bakery he worked for in trouble.

Elise's Bakery and Cafe's delivery van had to move after they had taken everything out and Arno had ducked into the driver's seat, saying that he would try to find a spot to park the van, but he wasn't hopeful. Connor suspected that the other would prefer to not wear a dress - not that the young man blamed the other for dodging having to wear the heavy, ridiculous fabric in front of an event that would likely be televised - or at least there would be paparazzi flashing pictures and the possibility of being part of the background of one of those pictures didn't appeal much to Connor, either.

He sighed softly, shaking his head a little as he was setting down a tray of savory meat pies when a couple of guests arrived - one of whom being his father... Who was wearing a formal navy blue and red outfit, complete with a dark blue and gold-trimmed tri-corn hat, as well as a black and gold cape. The red ribbon that was tied around the other's neck drew Connor's eyes and the realization that his father was a  _ handsome man _ struck Connor heavily. The graceful and confident manner in which the other moved was nothing short of mesmerizing.

His father glanced around the room - and as Connor had no place to hide and diving under the table would be both pointless and completely ridiculous, the young man froze up as the other made his way over to him, an eyebrow raising a little as Haytham looked him over critically. His father walked over to where Connor was A small smile curled on the other's lips and he murmured "Good evening, Connor. I must admit, I did not expect to see you looking as you are when we met again."

Connor straightened the pies a little, looking away from Haytham. The other's intense blue eyes were boring holes through him and the young man swallowed "It's one of the requirements for the catering people who are working tonight.... All of us have to wear this, whether we want to or not... I... I am glad to see you again. It's been too long."

"I agree - the director is thinking about moving the location of the filming to somewhere closer to home than in Europe and I do hope that those rumors are true... And I have missed you too." Haytham remarked, voice gentle.

When Connor risked a glance up at Haytham, the other was smiling at him in an amused and gentle manner - not at all irritated or disappointed in what he was wearing. His heart leaped to the back of his throat at the other's words and skipped more than a couple of times at the other's kind words and Connor couldn't help the broad, happy smile that appeared on his face "T-Thank you. I hope that those rumors are true. T-that way you... You might be able to be home more often."

The smile on his father's face widened a little bit, and the other's expression was still warm and gentle and Connor was trying so very hard not to turn into a stuttering mess in front of his father. Haytham murmured "I had hoped that we would see each other at this event, and I'm glad that we've been able to talk for a bit... I rather suspect that you are still needed to help set things up as it doesn't appear as though everything is in order, as of yet."

The young man nodded, hoping that he wasn't blushing as much as he felt he was - it was  _ unfair _ as to how attractive his father was in that formal colonial outfit - and he nodded "I... Yes. Traffic was  _ terrible _ to some and I... I am needed elsewhere. I hope you enjoy yourself." with that, Connor scurried off, trying to calm down a little as he realized (to his consternation) that he seemed to have developed a bit of a  _ crush _ on his  _ father _ ... Just what the  _ hell _ was he going to do with that information? Or was it simply that he had missed Haytham quite a bit and was horrifically embarrassed at being caught in this ridiculous outfit? Connor wasn't sure and the rest of the evening was a bit of a blur for the young man as he struggled to understand what he had just realized about himself. Connor decided that he would deal with hisâ€¦  _ Confusion _ about his father later.


	5. Chapter 5

The party-gala thing was winding down when Haytham approached the exhausted but trying to be cheerfully professional Connor. It was easily past 2am and as he was one of the last of the catering staff still there - most of the others having left with a guest to talk elsewhere. 

His father cleared his throat and remarked, a small smile on his face as his voice had an amused lilt to it "You look as if you're about to fall asleep on your feet."

"I feel like it too. Did you enjoy dancing with fancy people, rake:ni?" Connor asked as he shuffled closer to Haytham, struggling not to yawn as that was terribly unprofessional. "It's been a very... Very long day." The young man explained tiredly. 

Haytham's smile - a true smile, not the false expressions that Connor had seen the other flashing at various points in the evening - widened a little as he responded with "I did enjoy my time here, yes. Part of the reason for that is that you were here. I wouldn't have enjoyed the evening as much, had you not been here."

"... You mean, 'cause I'm in this  _ ridiculous  _ outfit. I wasn't the only one to ask for something that wasn't a dress. But  _ no _ we all had to match completely. Which apparently means that we all have to wear a ridiculous maid outfit." Connor sulked, although it delighted him to know that Haytham was glad that he was here. "There was a lot of competition, to be allowed to be part of the on-site catering staff. I'm glad that I was able to see you on the first day that you came home. I missed you, though the phone calls and emails did certainly help." As he had gotten to know Haytham through those emails and phone calls, Connor had missed his father more and more.

Haytham moved a bit closer before drawing his son into a hug, saying "I would like to leave soon - and as there are only a few guests left, do you think you can leave?"

Connor nodded sleepily as he cuddled into his father's warm embrace, smiling happily as he hugged the other back tightly "Yeah, that'd be nice. There was no parking for the van, so one of the boss'd to drive off, after we finished unloading." He technically was supposed to ask his boss who was here if he could leave, but as Miss Elise had left already, Connor was fairly confident that he could go.

"Ah. That would make getting back rather difficult. Was there transport arranged by the hotel so that you and the other catering staff members could head home, once the party concluded?" Haytham asked, a small frown appearing on his face. 

"Yeah... They said that they'd arrange taxis for us, after the party concluded. But I'd rather go home with you." Connor responded, still content to hold and be held by his father. 

Haytham nodded, and the two of them left the gala. His father contacted his driver as the two of them enjoyed the crisp November early morning. "It's Saturday - I hope that you have later in the day off."

"I do. I have the weekday shift, and no one who went to the event has been scheduled for a weekend shift." Connor responded with a tired yawn, leaning into his father's steady warmth as they waited for the limo to come. "I heard through party rumor that your birthday is coming up..."

"That it is. My birthday is on the fourth of December. I don't plan on spending it by throwing some ridiculously expensive and nonsensical party, if you're concerned about that. I much prefer having a quiet day, to spend with my friends and loved ones." Haytham answered, a small smile appearing on his face, as he had wondered if Connor would have picked up on that particular rumor. His son was quite perceptive, if rather shy. The actor smiled softly as he wrapped his arms around his tired and surprisingly cuddly son, enjoying the contact quite a bit. Connor was  _ adorable _ when exhausted.

"Oh... What's your favorite kind of cake?" Connor asked, determined to bake his father the other's favorite kind of cake. He might be able to get from Thomas or one of the others what his father's favorite meals of the day were, so that he could maybe cook all of it - or at least the cake. Connor was also going to ask for the fourth off - it was a Friday, which was one of their busiest days, but as he had a few weeks, they might be able to give him the time off. Or he could trade shifts with someone else.

"I like rum cake. My father would make it for me, when I was young on my birthdays. The two of us would make it together, and sometimes we'd have to make the frosting twice, as we'd eat all of the first batch..." Haytham responded, a small smile on his face as he tried not to lose himself in memories. "... There is a charity event that I have been...  _ Cordially invited _ to attend. It's a Thanksgiving themed event and if you have the evening off, I would like you to come with me. I enjoy your sense of humor, and if you did come with me, it would help me keep  _ sane _ at this party, as things tend to get a little...  _ Ridiculous _ at this particular event."

Connor yawned and asked "When is it? Is it on Thanksgiving day or...? Sure I'll be happy to go with you." He had hoped that they might be able to spend the day reserved for family away from such things... But he supposed that was one of the prices that his father had paid for his fame.

"It's the day before - and it will be partially televised, or at least the dancing will be, which is the first part of the event." Haytham explained, brightening up when Connor agreed to go. He explained more about what the charity event was like as the limo rolled up and the two of them got in.

~

Connor fidgeted a little with his cuff links - an item that the young man had never expected to own, but had been gifted a set by his father for the Thanksgiving gala that Haytham had asked him to attend - and while the young man was glad that it was the day  _ before _ thanksgiving so that they would be able to spend that day as family... Even though the young man was coming to terms with the realization that he  _ wanted _ Haytham in distinctly non-familial ways, Connor was slightly disheartened that they did in fact, actually have to go to this thing.

It was some charity event where lots of wealthy people showed off in front of cameras how generous they were - and how elegant they looked while dancing together. Haytham taught him the dances that he might be dragged into dancing with someone in the evenings leading up to today, putting on music as his father patiently endured Connor's slight clumsiness and occasional tripping. It had been a wonderful activity to do together - and the young man wished that they could spend another evening dancing and talking together, rather than dealing with so many  _ cameras _ Â ... Not that they were usually focused on Connor - his father was the star and so far, Connor hadn't registered on the paparazzi's radar as someone who was close to the internationally famous star.

The two of them were sitting in the limo that Haytham had rented to get them to this event, and his father glanced over at him. Connor's nerves must have been showing on his face as the other cleared his throat and said "Everything will be  _ fine _ Connor. You are an excellent dancer, and if it helps, pretend that you're dancing with me, when someone asks to dance with you. Make sure to keep relaxed and listen to the beat of the music and you will do fine. The cameras and media presence will leave after the dancing is over."

"I... Thanks, rake:ni. I know that I'm being silly, but it's just... All of this is a lot to take in all at once. But I'll remember the thing about imagining dancing with you,  _ if _ someone asks me to dance - although I doubt anyone will want to." Connor responded, smiling a little, determined to shake off some of the nerves that he was feeling. Perhaps if he also pretended that he was alone with the person he was dancing with, that would also help.

"Nonsense - I understand being nervous... The first time that I went to an event like this it took all of my self-control not to flee to the bathroom as soon as I saw the first camera. And I am quite certain that more than a couple of people will want to dance with you. You are a handsome, kind young man and your lovely personality accents your good looks." Haytham responded, sounding sincere to Connor.

The young man could feel his heart pounding in his ears and he felt himself blush rather darkly at his father's praise, trying not to seem as if he was _too_ pleased at the compliments. Haytham meant them differently than what Connor wished them to be, and the young man was determined to not make things awkward between the two of them. "Th-thanks, rake:ni."

"You're welcome Connor. Oh and I have a bit of a surprise - my parents and older sister are planning on a video conference tomorrow - they can't make it out to see us - trying to fly anywhere in the US anytime this month - particularly close to Thanksgiving is hellish enough, and as Jenny is usually on call during the week, it's difficult for her to arrange for time off." Haytham responded, remembering something and smiling quietly. "They'll be calling in at about ten in the morning our time, which is dinner for them, and they are very much looking forwards to meeting you. I have also been told that they want us to come see them for Christmas - and stay for at least a week, possibly two. I told them that you were working and that I would be sure to ask. Do you know how much time off that you might be able to get?"

Connor hummed a little, thinking about it "Elise and Arno close down the shop for the week leading up to and the week after Christmas. The rest of the month of December is usually  _ really _ busy as customers are buying or receiving the orders that they had arranged for earlier in the year. They go visit their families in France and decided that they wouldn't make any of us work when they're off visiting their families. They just told us this today - or rather, reminded everyone. We've been  _ so _ busy with thanksgiving and the beginning of Christmas things for the past week. If I make another order for fruitcake or pumpkin pie ever again it will be too soon... I'm not quite sure why anyone likes pumpkin pie - the consistency is not something I enjoy."

Haytham hummed "I am unsure as to why some like it as well - although perhaps it reminds them of pleasant memories of when they ate it before?"

"That sounds likely... I've been doing so many pies - mincemeat, pumpkin, sweet potato, and pecan mostly - I've been having nightmares about sinking into a vat of custard... Or being rolled flat by giant rolling pins..." Connor grumbled, glad for a few days off.

"That sounds rather terrifying. I won't ask you to make me any pies tomorrow, I promise." Haytham responded, an amused smile appearing on his face. "We are about to arrive at the dance."

Connor nodded, squaring his shoulders and taking in a deep, steadying breath as he smiled shakily at his father. "Alright I'm... I'm ready to go when we're there. Thank for distracting me."

"You're welcome Connor. Remember if you don't feel confident, fake like you are. It will help, I promise." Haytham counseled just before the doors to the limo were opened for them.

~

Talking to his father's family had been a wonderful experience, overall. Edward was funny and warm, Teresa had been kind and Jenny - Haytham's sister and Connor's aunt... Was a force of nature. The banter between Jenny and his father had been entertaining to watch and listen to, and Connor could tell by the small grin on his father's face, that the other had enjoyed arguing with his older sister just as much as she seemed to argue with him. It had been unexpectedly difficult to talk with them - or at least, watch how close and loving all four of them were, as their relationships rather reminded the young man of him and his mom and grandma... So Connor had excused himself for a time, to calm down a bit.

When he had come back from that, Edward had cheerfully told him that he and Haytham were coming by and spend time with them on Christmas - as they wanted to get to know him a bit better, and Christmas was best spent with family, if he could get the time off from the bakery. As the bakery that Connor worked at was going to be closed the week leading up to, and the week after Christmas, the young man was happy to tell them that he was able to spend that time with them. Part of the reason why the bakery was closing for two weeks, was that the bosses were flying home to Verailles to visit family for two weeks, and they had decided that it would be terribly unfair of them to demand that their employees work while they were off visiting family. The other reason was that traffic in LA was notoriously  _ terrible _ during the latter half of December - not just because of Christmas, but also because of New Years, and the bosses had decided after the first year that they had been opened, and that they would rather close down in order to protect their employees and themselves from the difficulties of trying to get anywhere near downtown during that time.

Connor was glad that he'd been able to ask Edward for the rum cake recipe that his father liked best - as said cake was Haytham's favorite - and his grandfather had been happy to give him the recipe. Connor had also told Thomas about wanting to make a rum cake for his father's birthday, and the Irishman had been happy to procure a tiny bottle of rum for him to use for cooking. It was early on the fourth of December, and the young man silently shuffled into the kitchen, his thoughts full of what had happened the past week and a half or so, humming softly as he started to make the cake, doing his best to stay quiet, as Haytham was still sleeping.

The young man had finished baking the cake, the tart that he'd made for breakfast, and the bread that the two of them were going to use for the picnic that they were going to be going on later was baking when Haytham wandered into the kitchen, looking a little sleepy but amused. Connor mused on how was so  _ strange _ to find out how mild it was during the winters here - he was used to New York winters - complete with at least a half a foot of snow and bitterly cold temperatures. This mild climate was... Disconcerting to say the least, but Connor didn't miss having to carefully navigate his way through knee high snow while trying not to slip on ice. The young man moved closer to his father, struggling to stop himself from closing the gap and press and impulsive kiss to the other's lips. Instead he pulled hi father into a cozy hug, smiling and murmuring quietly "Happy Birthday, rake:ni."

"Thank you, Connor. You've... Certainly been busy for some time now You didn't need to go to all of this fuss... But I am thankful that you've done all of this." Haytham responded, hugging Connor back a bit more tightly, a small smile appearing on his father's face - fond and causing the younger man's stomach to be very quickly infected by butterflies.

Connor blushed a little as the two of them stepped away from one another and he answered with "It's really no trouble - I had wanted to make you a rum cake for your birthday since you said that it was your favorite and... Well we had some fresh fruit and I thought that a tart for breakfast sounded really lovely... And freshly baked bread is so much  _ better _ than store bought and we happened to have everything on hand so... Why not?"

Haytham hummed a little, nodding after a moment "I see. As I said before, I am grateful for all of this, and it's very wonderful of you to have done all of this for me. They're wonderful birthday gifts, and I am sure that I will enjoy each of them thoroughly. Is the tart ready to eat? I'm quite hungry - and waking up to the smell of fresh bread was a delight I wasn't expecting." His father leaned in closer, and for a moment, Connor could have sworn that the other was about to kiss him, but Haytham merely moved past him to grab a couple of plates and forks. "Do you need to tend to the bread soon?"

"No, it has about an hour to go before I need to mess with it. Let's eat breakfast!" Connor responded, shaking himself mentally as he beamed brightly at his father and the two of them sat down to eat.


	6. Chapter 6

Connor was glad that he had double checked to make sure that they'd packed everything - as he had forgotten to grab a blanket for them to sit on, and even though the park that the two of them were currently wandering through had a couple of picnic tables, Connor hoped that the two of them would find a spot to sit in as the grass was still green and comfortable as the two of them wandered their way through the beautiful park. Both he and Haytham were carrying the basket that they had decided to use, with it between the two of them. Connor was glad that it wasn't raining - and though there were clouds in the sky, the young man hoped that they could avoid getting rained on - though the two of them had packed an umbrella, just in case.

"It's quite lovely here." Connor remarked quietly - though most of the tree branches were bare, it was nice to be outside, and the walk with Haytham was wonderful.

His father nodded in agreement "It's even more lovely in the Spring, as well as in the Fall, when the leaves are turning colors. I had meant to bring you here earlier, but..." A sigh left his father's lips and the older man shook his head a little "My schedule was far too full, although I hope that you are enjoying life here in LA. I find the mild winters to be a wonderful relief."

"It's nice not having to wade through the snow - or try to navigate around patches of ice created by people walking down a path of snow - which is even more dangerous than the snow." Connor answered with a small smile of his own. It still felt a little strange to only be wearing a light jacket in the beginning of December - but in the mild weather, he didn't  _ need _ anything heavier. The two of them talked about how their different week had gone - Haytham had interviewed with a couple of magazines for the show that had debuted a couple of months ago, as he played one of the central characters, in order to help advertise the show. Connor had watched the episodes that had come out, fascinated and intrigued by it so far and was eager to find out more about the mysteries and how the characters in it would be challenged as the show progressed.

"And of course, the interviewer asked if there was anything that I could reveal about where the show was heading - in either the modern times portion or in the historical setting, and I did tell them what I could. I suspect that they were rather hoping for more than I could give them." Haytham finished.

"I find both of the characters you play to be very fascinating - both the leader of the colonial... Cult? Secret society? And the high powered CEO who leads the modern day equivalent to be very intriguing." Connor responded, smiling quietly at the other. Of course, seeing Haytham in beautifully tailored suits and surprisingly  _ gorgeous _ colonial outfits did not help his wildly inappropriate crush on his father one bit.

His father chuckled a little "I am glad that you are enjoying the show - I had hoped that you would at least see the pilot, to find out if it was to your taste, but I didn't want to possibly make you feel awkward if you hadn't seen it."

Connor nodded, smiling a little, enchanted by the sound of his father's laugh - as well as how warm and  _ kind _ his father's bright blue eyes looked and the younger man quickly looked away, doing his best to suppress the blush that was trying to spread across his face and failing miserably. "There's a nice spot by the tree, we can sit in the sunny side of it, and lean against the trunk if you like." He remarked, hoping that the other didn't catch the blush on his face "The tree should also screen most of the wind, so we won't get so cold."

Haytham looked over at the spot that Connor had mentioned and nodded in agreement, saying cheerfully "I like the look of that spot as well. Shall we?" It was a bit off of the path that they were currently walking on, but as it was all grass and occasionally trees, where the sawdust paths weren't, the two of them confidently ambled their way over to the spot, taking out the blanket and set up for their picnic.

Once everything was pulled out of the basket - including the strawberry-peach lemonade - the two of them started to dig in, and Connor couldn't help but enjoy leaning into Haytham as they ate and chatted - occasionally there would be a lull in the conversation - but the companionable silence was just as lovely. A rogue gust of wind caused the younger man to shiver a little - and it was a good excuse to cozy up closer to Haytham, who wrapped an arm around him.

They stayed close and cuddled into one another for a time, and Haytham remarked lightly "I must say, this is the best Birthday I have had in some time, and I am very glad that I have been able to spend it with you, Connor."

The younger man beamed at his father at that, his heart beating quickly in his ears, making it difficult to think for a couple of moments, but he managed out sincerely "I've enjoyed spending time with you today, I always do. I'm glad that you liked the idea of a picnic, rake:ni."

Haytham blinked in surprise at his response, and the smile on his father's face widened a little "It... I'm very glad to hear that you enjoy spending time with me, Connor." Haytham leaned in closer, and for a moment, the young man thought that Haytham was about to kiss him on the lips, but before that could happen, the both of them heard a rumble of thunder, and the pair of them nearly jumped out of their skins. Rain poured down on them suddenly and the two of them scrambled to get everything haphazardly back into the basket.

The two of them ran back to the car, each of them gripping firmly onto the basket, but their hands touching lightly as the father and son pair couldn't help but laugh. The two of them barely managed to slow down in time not to run into the car when they managed to get over to the parking lot - Connor nearly fell over, but Haytham caught him and righted him "I believe we should head home now." The older man suggested.

There was joy and delight in his father's eyes, even though they were both /thoroughly/ soaked and Connor nodded, returning the silly grin on Haytham's face with one of his own "Yeah, that'd probably be a good idea." The two of them quickly got into the car, and Connor made sure to put the basket in the back seat after buckling up, so that it wouldn't be in his lap as they went home.

~

Connor double checked the packing list, to make sure that he had everything that he needed for two weeks. He was a light packer - which is why he had everything that he was pretty sure that he needed packed into a backpack and a laptop bag - the latter contained his laptop, headphones and wireless mouse - as well as his cell phone charger. The young man didn't expect to be using his laptop all that much, but since he could use it on the rather long flight from LA to London... And then Haytham said that they were going to be taking a train from there to the village that he had grown up in. His father had also mentioned that they would have someone picking them up to take them to where he'd grown up - and Haytham had seemed to consider telling him something, before saying that he had decided to keep something a small surprise for Connor - and that he'd find something out relatively soon, once they arrived in the village.

The young man was very curious as to what the surprise was, but as Connor rather liked surprises, he had decided not to ask what it was. A small smile appeared on the young man's face as his father lightly knocked on the door to his room, asking "Do you have a moment, Connor?"

"Yep! I was just double checking that I have everything packed." Connor responded as he walked over to the door and opened it, silently gesturing for his father to come in before backing up a couple of steps so that the other could come in.

"Good - there has been a slight change in our flight plan. There's a storm due to hit the East coast the day that we're supposed to fly out to London - do you think you can speak with your employers about getting another day off, so that we can get there and be sure to get there before the airports close? The weather people are predicting a foot of snow in the first hour." Haytham answered, a small, concerned frown appearing on his face.

"I'll be sure to ask them - I do have a couple of days of time off banked, so if I have to, I can cash those in now... But given that Elise and Arno are headed to Versailles, they'd probably want to change their flights too, if they can. I'll ask them tomorrow, while I'm at work." Connor cheerfully responded, nodding a little. "... And I know that I'm packing a little bit early, but I... I'm excited to go, and I want to be sure that I've got everything." They had about four days before they were to fly out now, but the young man wanted to be prepared - especially since they were flying out early in the morning and had to get up even earlier.

Haytham nodded, smiling softly at Connor and pulling the other into a brief hug, murmuring warmly "I am glad that you are looking forwards to meeting the rest of our family. They can be a bit...  _ Much _ all at once, but they are wonderful and I hope that you get along well with them."

Connor hugged his father back, grinning and trying not to hug the other  _ too _ tightly, as being able to hug Haytham was a wonderful experience and Connor hoped that the other couldn't hear the way his heart was thundering loudly in his ears.

Before either of them could say anything else, Haytham's phone rang - the ringtone meaning that it was Lee - or someone who had Lee's number - was calling his father. The older Kenway sighed and the two of them let one another go. "I shall see what Charles is calling me about. He's not entirely thrilled that I am going home for the holidays. There were several events that he wished me to attend, but as this is our first Christmas together, I was firm about wishing to go back to my childhood home."

Connor sighed a little, entirely unsurprised by that - he still wasn't getting along all that well with Lee - the older man was pushy and seemed to think of Connor as a threat to him - although  _ why _ the public relations agent thought that he was gunning for the other's position, Connor had no idea. He hadn't the slightest clue how to do any of that - and the young man had absolutely no desire to learn... And, despite the other being unpleasant for him to be around, Lee was very effective at what he did, and for some reason, most people found the mustachioed man to be quite charming and pleasant to be around. "Good luck."

~

Connor had been able to get the time off that he needed so that the two of them could fly out safely. He slept for most of the time that they had been flying s he had talked and caught up with Kanen for most of the evening before, as the other had called him out of the blue - his friend had settled in the small, sleepy town that he'd been moved to, and the other had been able to get a job working on one of the nearby ranches - working with horses, as Kanen had always wanted to.

He and Haytham had played a micro game that Connor had packed for down time, as there wasn't much wi-fi on the train after they left the city. It had been a lot of fun to play with his father - and the quirky game caused the older man to laugh and smile quite a bit as they played round after round. It didn't seem to take much time at all for them to get to the stop that they needed to - though in reality, several hours had passed.

Edward was waiting for them at the stop, the blond man grinning happily at the two of them and pulling Haytham into Â big bear hug before tugging Connor in close s well. "Welcome home, Haytham. And this strapping young man must be Connor. It is wonderful to finally meet you in person, lad!"

Connor nodded, smiling shyly up at his grandfather, unsure as to what to say - so he nodded and responded with "I'm glad to meet you too, grandfather."

"There's no need to be so formal, Connor. Please call me grandpa. The others are back home, so shall we be off?" Edward asked cheerfully. Both of them nodded - it had been a very  _ long _ day of travel, and Connor found the rather drastic time difference to be rather disorienting, to say the least.

~

Connor had been thoroughly taken off guard when they reached their final destination, having not suspected that his father had grown up in an actual  _ castle _ . The young man delighted in exploring his father's childhood home. He was currently preparing for the Christmas party that his father's family threw every year - the people who lived in the village and their families were encouraged to attend, and Haytham said that it was a rather popular event. The novelty of living for a short time in a castle hadn't worn off - even a little over a week later. There would be a private party for family only tomorrow - Christmas day, but Connor found that he was even more nervous about that - as while he had contact with the rest of his newly met family, the young man was worried that he'd make an absolute fool of himself, and he worried that they might hate him and that Haytham would want anything to do with him and...

Connor shook himself a little, realizing that he was letting his anxiety over what might happen overtake his good sense - so he concentrated on the positives - such as watching his father dance - as the other was graceful. He wandered down to where the party had already begun, hiding in a corner as he watched his father and the other members of the Kenway talk and interact with the people who lived in the village below, not quite bold enough to wade into the crowd of people.

His father spotted him and made his way over to where Connor was hiding after a little bit, raising an eyebrow and murmuring "Are you going to introduce yourself, Connor? Or is all of this a bit much for you at the moment?"

"I... Ah... There are a lot of people and they obviously mean quite a bit to the others and I... I'd rather hide for a bit longer." Connor answered honestly, fidgeting with his hands a little as he peeked up at the other, anxious as to how his father would respond to the truth.

"Very well then - although you may want to move - the dancing part of the evening is about to begin, and this area is going to be a rather popular spot to go near." Haytham remarked, shifting closer to Connor, the gentle smile on his face widening a little.

"Oh, what makes you say that?" The younger man asked curiously, looking around him for anything that would give him a clue as to why.

"Look up." Haytham suggested, coming closer still as Connor did so.

The younger man blushed a little and managed out a surprised "M-Mistletoe..."

"Yes. There are several other spots where the mistletoe has been hung, and I suspect that all of them will be visited by dancing couples as a pretext to kiss. Hmm... A kiss on the lips is traditional, when two people come under the same bunch of mistletoe..." Haytham was a lot closer than he had been before...

Connor could feel his heart pounding loudly in his ears and the young man holding his breath, hoping for what the other to kiss him, leaning into his father's warmth for a moment as he managed out "We should follow that tradition - it would be... Rude, otherwise, yes?"

There was a brief flash of surprise on Haytham's face at Connor's response, and the older man nodded, and unless Connor was reading too much into it, Haytham seemed eager to kiss him as well. His father leaned in closer, pressing a light kiss to Connor's lips for a couple of moments before pulling away, purring softly into Connor's ears "We will speak of this later, when we are alone."

Connor nodded, a hopeful expression on his face - he had managed to kiss Haytham back before the other had pulled away... And the kiss had helped to embolden Connor enough to cheerfully interact with everyone at the party.


	7. Chapter 7

Despite his father's promise earlier, the two of them hadn't had much time to speak with one another, Â at least not alone. Months had passed since the kiss, and today was his birthday... Although it wasn't because the two of them had been trying to avoid one another, since that wonderful, if brief kiss between the two of them... But rather that life had conspired against the two of them. For one thing, the both of them had been kept incredibly busy or the rest of their stay at Kenway castle - as there was a new year's party, and as several of the staff had gotten sick shortly after the conclusion of the Christmas Party, both Connor and Haytham had agreed to help out.

There was also the fact that as soon as they entered the airport, Lee was on the both of them, smiling charmingly at Haytham, with an apology on his lips - that some incredibly well known and famous director had contacted the writers of the TV show that Haytham had starred in, and that the movie director had decided to take an interest in the show - that he would help fund another  _ several _ seasons of the show, on the pretext that each of the actors and actresses who had played the main characters would work the next season  _ now _ rather than in the next usual filming season. As usual, Lee almost entirely ignored Connor - who had been hoping to have that private conversation with the other then - as they hadn't on the plane s they hadn't been the only ones  _ on _ the plane at the time.

Connor had been sure to send more bread and other baked goods to Haytham made in the colonial era style - who was appreciative and  _ flirtatious _ in his emails and letters that he sent back. Apparently the director had decided that rather than a half hour long show that it had been in the first season, that it would be an hour long per episode show - which meant that they had to film for twice the amount of time - although the writers were happy to be able to expand upon the universe that they had begun to create in the first season. Which was all well and good for them, but the young man thought it was entirely unfair to demand so much from the actors and actresses during their time off - then again most of the cast weren't as famous as his father, and were likely just grateful to have such steady work.

The young man had realized that he had zoned out, rather than focusing on crumb coating the wedding cake that he was making for... Someone. But as his hands had managed to carefully apply the thin layer of frosting correctly, Connor relaxed a little as he handed it off to Chevalier, who was in charge of frosting the  _ rest _ of the cake.

The irritable French baker remarked lightly "You are rather distracted today - thinking of what you're going to do this weekend for your birthday?"

"... Something like that. I just wish that my dad could be here for my Birthday - last he told me, he was still stuck... Elsewhere, for his work." The younger man not quite lied. They were aware that his father was an actor - but Connor had managed to avoid telling them precisely  _ who _ his father was as he didn't want to deal with the potential questions - or accusations - that might be thrown his way, should his coworkers find out that he was related to Haytham - who was internationally famous.

"Ah. It's good that he's got work - is he in a play? I know that play season started a month ago." Stephane remarked, after he finished torching the meringue he was working with, so that it was browned in precisely the right ways. "Happy Birthday, Connor." They were aware that the newest member of their baking family had known his father for roughly a year or so, and had come to live with him for mysterious reasons, which the young man was uncomfortable with going into detail about.

"He's working on a TV show, actually. They've been filming since the beginning of January. We've been able to keep in touch but... Itâ€™s not the same as when he's here... You know?" Connor responded "Not that I can talk about any more of whatâ€™s going on - strictly speaking I'm not supposed to know as much as I do about the sow as I do. 'Sides the bosses are headed our way, best not to talk much now..." The other two blinked and noticed Arno and Elise headed into the kitchen, and they made sure to refocus on the task at hand.

~

The rest of Connor's work day had been a blur of business - they had gotten  _ several _ orders for wedding cakes and the bosses were busy scheduling appointments with the clients - as well as tester cakes for the differing flavors that those clients had tentatively chosen for their cakes. he was picked up by the usual driver, and thanked the other for getting him safely home as soon as he was at the lofty apartment building that he was living in... Quite a lot had changed in the year that he'd lived here, and the young man hoped that the impulsive desire to kiss Haytham back when the other had kissed him hadn't caused problems - what if Haytham had decided that it was a bad idea to try to further whatever this  _ could _ be as there were quite a few risks, even if the two of them were careful...

Connor shook his head a little - from what Haytham had written, it was very unlikely for the other to have suddenly lost interest - the flirtatiousness was unmistakable - besides deciding not to further... What might come to pass would likely be the wisest course of action... If not the path that Connor wished that they would go down. The young man unlocked the door to his apartment after going into the building and through the usual security checks, and immediately noticed that there was something different about it - and it wasn't that the cleaning service had been in - neither Haytham nor Connor liked the idea of strangers cleaning for them, so they ad requested for them not to do anything ... The oven was on, there were lit candles on the dining room table and music was softly playing in the background. It was a very confusing scene to come home to, and h wasn't sure if this was some sort of elaborate prank that someone was pulling, or if Lee had broken into the apartment and had tried to make a romantic scene for Haytham - regardless of the fact that the both of them knew that Haytham was still half a world away from here.

Connor hoped that wasn't the case - the young man had suspected that Lee had wanted his father for more than a couple of years - but Haytham seemed to be entirely unaware of the Englishman's wanting attentions... Or Connor had misread Lee entirely on that matter, and the two of them were simply close platonic friends, and Lee was simply one who got jealous easily when his friends paid attention to other people... But the young man was quite sure that his guess about Lee wanting Haytham - and being frustrated that Connor was yet another person whom Haytham had come to care for that wasn't the miserable ass. He mentally shook himself out of his slightly dour thoughts as he looked around, trying to find some clue as to who had done this - and why.

"Ah, I hadn't expected you home for another half hour. I meant to meet you in the lobby." Haytham remarked from the far end of the room, leaning against the door frame and smiling warmly at Connor "Good evening, Connor."

The younger man  _ grinned _ appeared on the young man's face as he moved closer to his father, before running towards Haytham and pulling the other into a tight, loving hug, tempted to press a kiss to the other's lips, but unsure as to whether or not Haytham would want him to do so. "You're home! When... How long... Iâ€™m so glad that you're home, father!" The other hadn't so much as hinted that he was going to be home anytime soon, and the fact that his father was home on his birthday, caused the young man to beam at Haytham happily.

"I've been home for about four hours now - I wanted it to be a surprise. I've known for about three days that I'm going to be headed home - some of the others are still there being filmed, but all of the scenes or my character has been filmed for this new season." His father responded, hugging the other back happily and pressing a gentle kiss to one of Connor's cheeks, humming softly and smiling warmly at him. "I thought that I'd surprise you with dinner - it's nearly done cooking."

"All of this is wonderful! Thank you so much. Dinner smells amazing." Connor responded, having no desire to let the other go anytime soon. He wanted to ask what it was that Haytham had made, but he could guess - besides it was a bit of a surprise, the younger man supposed.

"I hope that you enjoy it's taste as much as it smells... Â made it myself - lasagna with garlic bread." Haytham remarked as the two of them slowly let go of one another, and he lead his son back over to the dining room table, pulling out a chair and gesturing for the other to sit.

With the soft music, the candles and... Everything really, Connor couldn't help but think that his father had intended this to be a date for the two of them - and perhaps the other had wanted to ask him if he did want to go on a date before he had come up? It was an incredibly sweet gesture and as he sat down, Connor caught one of his father's hands and pressed a loving kiss to the other's knuckles - it was a little bit of a silly gesture, but he murmured sincerely "Thank you, for all of this. I..." The words stuck in his throat, but if Haytham could do all of  _ this _ than Connor was determined to say the words first "I love you. In a... A romantic way. And I... This is all wonderful."

Haytham smiled warmly at him, humming softly and leaned in close. He pressed a kiss to Connor's lips before whispering in one of the younger man's ears "I love you in a romantic way as well, Connor." He pulled away slightly to kiss Connor again.

The younger man enthusiastically kissed Haytham back, his arms wrapping around the other's shoulders, pulling his father closer still. When they broke apart from air, Connor was pink in the face, but also had the largest, silliest grin on his face, delighted that of all the people who his father might want, that Haytham wanted  _ him _ . It was amazing as it was slightly surprising. Connor's heart was full to bursting with delight and happiness and the young man murmured "I am... It's so... Iâ€™m so happy that you love me back. I... I don't know what else to say."

His father chuckled softly, about to respond when the oven timer went off. Haytham sighed a little, going to check on the food, pulling it out and bringing it over to the table and responding with "I am very happy to know that you love me back in the ways that I care for you as well... And I understand how you can feel rather tongue tied- I'm a bit at a loss of words myself. If you like... After we finish dinner, there is a private beach that we can wander down and watch the sunset together - you do have tomorrow off, yes? Today is Friday, I believe. We had filming days four days out of seven - half of those days were actually nights and the days that we worked and that we had off floated through the seven day work week and I'm... My sense of time is a little off at the moment."

Connor felt his heart flutter happily in his chest, and he nodded eagerly, answering with "Yes, I have tomorrow and Sunday off - although sometimes I do work weekends, and have part of the week off instead... And a walk on the beach with you sounds  _ amazing _ ."

Another warm smile appeared on his father's face at that, and Haytham nodded, obviously glad that Haytham liked the idea that he'd given the younger man. After a moment he asked "Shall we eat?"

Connor nodded - his stomach rumbling hungrily as he answered with an enthusiastic "Yes, let's!" Â He carefully cut two generous portions of lasagna, giving a portion to his father first, before serving himself some of the delicious food. He asked curiously "Are you going to be driving us to the beach or...?"

"I will be, yes. Do you remember the sedan that we went to the picnic in? I thought that we would take that car, unless you have any objections?" Haytham responded with a small smile.

"Nope! I thought it would make sense if you did drive... by the way, I did pass that driving class that you mentioned that I should take... I'm just not sure how much I'll want to drive - the traffic in this city is nightmarish at the best of times..." Connor responded cheerfully. There was much that the two of them had to talk about, but as they started to eat and chat about how things had gone during their differing work weeks, the young man had the feeling that everything would be well.


End file.
